6. Proposed Ohio county home rule amendment.

Art. 19, Sec. 1. Any county may frame and adopt or amend a charter for its government and may exercise thereunder all powers of local self-government, and shall have authority to adopt and enforce within its limits such local police, sanitary and other similar regulations as are not in conflict with laws of general application in the State. The General Assembly shall pass no general laws of special application, and no special laws for specific counties.

Sec. 2. Any county with a population of over 200,000 may provide by charter for the abolition of any or all existing governments within said county. It may provide by charter in place thereof, a unified government over the entire county, which charter shall provide for the establishment of such local districts or boroughs for administrative and self-governing purposes, or for assessment and taxation purposes or for both, as it may deem convenient and equitable. Any single government thus established shall have the powers and privileges granted to municipalities and counties under the Constitution.

Sec. 3. Any county framing its own charter under the provisions of this Article may determine for itself what officers shall be chosen by election and for what terms and under what limitations, and Article 10 of the Constitution shall be so construed in a charter county. Such charter shall provide that the powers heretofore exercised by the county officers for and on behalf of the State shall be exercised by such officers as shall be designated therefor in such charter.

Sec. 4. When a petition requesting that the question "Shall a commission be chosen to frame a charter," or the question "Shall a commission be chosen to frame a charter providing a single unified government," be submitted to the voters, signed by 10 per cent of the qualified electors of the county, is filed with the Deputy State Supervisor of Elections, he shall order an election upon the question within ninety days. The ballots shall bear no party designation. Provision shall be made thereon for the election from the county at large of 15 electors who shall constitute a commission to frame a charter. Provided, however, that not more than nine of the electors so chosen shall be residents of any one of the cities, villages or townships within the county at the time of such election. Names of candidates for the charter commission shall be placed upon the ballot by petitions filed with the Deputy State Supervisor of Elections not later than twenty days before the election of such commissioners. No petition shall be deemed sufficient unless it bears the signatures of at least 1 per cent of the qualified electors of the county. If a majority of the electors voting on the question shall vote in the affirmative the Secretary of State shall within ten days after the receipt of the returns of the election officially declare and make a matter of public record that "County has elected to frame its own charter under Article 19 of the Constitution and has elected the following named persons to frame a charter for said county."

Upon this declaration by the Secretary of State any charter commission chosen under the provisions of this section shall immediately

be called together by the member whose name appears first in alphabetical order. The commission shall organize in such fashion as shall seem wise and expedient and proceed to frame a budget to cover the expenses which may be contracted for secretarial and necessary incidental purposes. This budget shall be presented to the county commissioners and they shall then appropriate out of the general funds of the County an amount sufficient to meet the necessary expenses of the Commission. The County Commissioners shall also provide the Charter Commission with necessary quarters and general facilities for their labors.

The charter as framed by the Commission shall be submitted to the voters of the County at an election to be held at a time fixed by the Charter Commission and within one year from the date of its election. Provision for said charter election shall be made by the Deputy State Supervisor of Elections in conformity with the laws governing the holding of elections and the Board of County Commissioners shall appropriate out of the general funds of said County a sum sufficient to pay the expenses of such election. Not less than thirty days prior to such election the Deputy State Supervisor of Elections shall mail a copy of the proposed charter to each elector whose name appears upon the poll books of the last regular election held within the County. If such proposed charter is approved by a majority of the electors voting at the election thereon it shall become the charter of the county at the time fixed therein.

Provision shall be made in the schedule of any such charter for such lengthening of the terms of elected public officials so that on a given date the terms of all such officers shall legally end and the officials chosen under the charter provisions shall take their place.

LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE BUREAU.

GOVERNOR FRANK O. LOWDEN, Chairman.

SENATOR EDWARD C. CURTIS, Grant Park.

SENATOR RICHARD J. BARR, Joliet.

REPRESENTATIVE EDWARD J. SMEJKAL, Chicago. REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM P. HOLADAY, Danville.

E. J. VERLIE, Secretary.

W. F. DODD, in charge collection of data for

constitutional convention.